Page 68 - EW August 2021

Teacher-2-Teacher

Fluctuating trends in

international education

RAMANANDA S.G.

S THE PANDEMIC CONTINUES TO WREAK The sustained preference for study
havoc leaving uncertainty in its wake with travel
restrictions by most countries firmly in place, abroad is due to the variety of electives,
AIndian students are turning to twinning pro- degree options, specialisations,
grammes or looking at newer study abroad destinations.
In March 2020 with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, better research platforms and diverse
most students from India with study abroad plans decided pedagogies that universities abroad offer
to postpone them to the next academic year. This decision
made sense because of pandemic-associated health risks,
mobility and visa restrictions, and financial pressures leading academic experts, and an international community.
caused by the global economic slowdown. The fourth trend is the rising preference for newer study
However, towards the latter part of last year, as pan- abroad destinations. The US and UK temporarily fell off
demic fears began to abate given the positive vaccine re- the list of most sought-after higher education destinations
sults, and destination countries gradually re-opening their because of Covid border closures and student visa restric-
borders and easing travel restrictions, some students resur- tions at the height of the pandemic, resulting in new higher
rected study abroad plans. Now, months later, following the education study destinations becoming popular.
second wave of the pandemic and an imminent third, deter- ut factors such as friendlier visa policies for interna-
mined students have had to revise their foreign higher edu- Btional students, liberal postgrad employment rules,
cation plans again. Among the options currently available waiver of visa quotas for Ph D graduates in STEM fields,
are twinning, synchronous blended learning programmes OPT extension, and an easier path to Green Cards for Ph
and shift to countries with lower Covid risks which are still Ds, have contributed to the US regaining its #1 study abroad
allowing Indian students. Some foreign universities have destination status. In the UK, a new Student Immigration
also reduced tuition fees to woo international students. Route makes it easier for foreign students to apply to educa-
One of the most conspicuous study abroad trends this tion institutions and emigrate to the UK.
year is an unprecedented large number of applications to Even so Canada, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Nether-
foreign universities as students who had cancelled plans for lands, Switzerland, and New Zealand are also becoming
admission this autumn (2021) are applying for admission in popular as new study abroad destinations, despite current
January 2022, together with the fresh batches of students. travel restrictions. More flexible visa and higher education
This has not only led to intensified competition for admis- policies that allow students to transfer admission applica-
sion into popular universities, but also created a shortage tions to the following year, permitting students to study for
of seats in sought-after courses such as MBA, data science half the programme in India with collaborating universities
and digital marketing. Consequently, some students have (aka twinning), liberal post-study work visas and waiving
begun applying to less popular streams like humanities, exams like SAT and admissions based on provisional scores
music, food technology and luxury brands management, are other incentives being offered by well-reputed universi-
among others. Moreover, students are also applying to sev- ties in these countries.
eral universities in multiple countries simultaneously. This Despite the pandemic road bump, the demand for for-
has turned the spotlight on a set of lesser-known varsities eign degrees is strong. A recent report by the UK-based
because it makes sense for students to cast their nets wider Study International forecasts the number of students as-
when choosing offshore universities. piring to study abroad will continue to rise in India and in-
A second factor pushing students to study abroad is that ternational student enrolments are expected to grow to 6.9
professional skills development study programmes tend to million globally at an annual CAGR of 2.97 percent by 2030.
be qualitatively superior in foreign higher education insti- This preference for study abroad is due to the variety of
tutions. Acquisition of good skill sets will help to land bet- electives, degree options, specialisations, better research
ter jobs in the post-pandemic era. Research studies of the platforms and diverse teaching pedagogies that universities
Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) indi- abroad offer. Besides, international education provides rich
cate that MBA, Ph D and STEM courses have been gaining life skills development experiences and better job prospects
popularity after breakout of the Covid-19 pandemic. because of strong brand value of degrees from globally re-
Thirdly, to attract high-fees paying foreign students tests spected universities. Moreover, foreign universities offer
like GRE/GMAT/TOEFL/LSAT which are a precondition of better opportunities to students looking to settle abroad
admission to respectable universities abroad, can now also after their studies.
be taken online. Moreover by signing up for wholly online
study programmes, Indian students can learn at globally (Ramananda S.G. is the Bengaluru-based vice president, sales & market-
acclaimed institutions, with quality teaching and access to ing, Pearson India)

68 EDUCATIONWORLD AUGUST 2021